Lane Kiffin has suitors. Those suitors probably want an answer sooner rather than later. Kiffin’s boss probably wants him to focus on the task at hand. But the Ole Miss head football coach, who happens to be the hottest commodity in the sport at the moment, also has to make a decision that sets up his family best long-term.
As Lane Kiffin tries to decide between Ole Miss, the vacant LSU job, or the vacant Florida job, his team is invariably harmed. They have incessant noise, and they could lose their coach before the season is done.
When former Alabama head coach Nick Saban joined the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, he lamented the state of the college football calendar.
“Every coach wants to coach their team. I mean, it is really, really hard to up and leave your team,” Saban said. “The calendar should be set up so every coach can finish the season with his team. That’s good for the players and it’s good for the team. And, the circumstances in college football right now don’t really allow that to happen.
“… Hopefully, maybe we’ll take some of these changes and put them on a calendar, where it’s better for the players, and you don’t have all these guys getting fired 5 games into the season.”
Ole Miss has said it expects a decision from Kiffin following the Rebels’ Egg Bowl game against Mississippi State on Friday.
If Ole Miss wins, Alabama loses to Auburn, and Texas A&M loses to Texas, the Rebels will be in the SEC Championship Game. If Ole Miss is shut out from the SEC’s title fight, it will likely still be participating in the College Football Playoff.
Whether the Rebels have a shot at a league crown or simply a shot at a national title, they will be aiming to close out the best season in program history on a high note.
And their head coach might not get to be a part of that. If Kiffin decides to take another job, and Ole Miss decides to name an interim coach to replace him while it searches for his permanent successor, the man who helped build this machine won’t get to see the job out.
Of course, Kiffin can put all the talk to bed by re-upping with Ole Miss. He isn’t being forced to leave. But jobs like LSU don’t come around often. (Those like Florida, at least lately, do a little more frequently.)
Whatever his decision, someone is going to be harmed. Saban seems to hate that the players will be regardless.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
